Homicide
by Lunelis
Summary: AU Rae Rob fic. Detective Dick Grayson is a detective in the Gotham Homicide Squad. After his partner transfers, he is left with a new one: Raven Roth. Will these partners grow closer or further based on the trials they will face?
1. Chapter 1

So, to start off, this is just me revamping an old story. When I first wrote it, I was apparently not particularly good at writing anywhere near as strong as some of the authors I enjoy reading. Hopefully (I guess we'll see), this is written a little better than it was the first time around.

* * *

It began as a windy day in Bludhaven. A tall man with jet black hair had come in from the blistering cold, firmly gripping the edges of his jacket closed. As he walked in, he looked around the precinct in hopes that he would find his partner. However, when he looked at his desk, or at least, what used to be his desk, he frowned. It was empty.

"Hey Vic," Richard called, seeing another member of the unit.

"It's freezing out there isn't it," Vic said as he took one look at Richard clutching his jacket.

"Yeah," Richard said, removing his jacket as he walked towards his desk. Feeling the obvious absence of his partner, he posed a question to Detective Stone. "Do you know where Garth is? He's usually in by now."

Victor just looked at him, his face moving from an expression of cluelessness to concern at the notable absence of Detective Waters. "I haven't seen him. I'd talk to Willis. He was threatened with reassignment after the other day…"

"You're probably right," Dick replied as he recalled the event.

_Victor, Dick, and Garth burst into the apartment of Jack Dale, hoping to find their suspect. Jack, or at least they hoped it was Jack, was sloppy with his latest victim. He left fingerprints. When they entered the apartment, they were expecting to find him watching television like the last time they paid him a visit. However, what they found was much worse._

_On the floor of the apartment was a woman, viciously stabbed numerous times. The detectives were appalled, to say the least._

"_Damn it!" Garth yelled as he realized the scene that lay before him. "We had him! She said she would be fine! She wasn't supposed to die!"_

_The detectives knew who the victim was: Jane Cuthbert, Dale's case worker. She was incredibly, and apparently lethally, sympathetic towards Dale, despite the detectives' warnings against it. While they had their worries, they never thought the result would be this horrific._

"_Garth, go outside and call a bus," Vic said, his hand at his mouth in an attempt to prevent his shock from erupting as nausea. Dick contacted the crime scene unit while the remaining detectives searched the premises. _

"_The son of a bitch scoured the place," Dick called out from the bedroom. Everything there was either wet or in the wash. He disposed of the evidence. _

_Within fifteen minutes, the ambulance had arrived, along with crime scene techs, to find Garth blankly staring at Jane's body, crouched in what was most certainly an uncomfortable position. "Come on Garth, let's get back to the station," Victor said softly at the sight of his distraught friend._

_When the detectives returned to their precinct, Garth sat at his desk, absolutely silent. The other detectives followed suit. None of them could speak. And even if they could, there wasn't much they wanted to say. Nothing that would help, at least. _

_Like the firing of a gun, Garth sent everything on his desk flying with one swift motion. His breath was ragged and he couldn't quite keep his balance. Before Captain Willis could rush in, Garth walked with deathly focus to his locker. By the time Vic and Richard made it to the locker room, Garth had severely dented his locker, sending himself to the hospital for multiple fractures._

Dick approached Captain Willis' door and knocked on it gently, realizing there were few answers he was going to want to hear once he asked his question.

"Come in," a gruff voice said.

"Hey Capt-"

"Have a seat," the reasonably burly man said, cutting Dick off before the words could roll of his tongue. Rarely disobeying his captain, Dick took a seat.

The two men sat in silence, one man waiting for a question, the other deciding on how to phrase it.

"Where's Garth?" Dick asked, deciding on sounding firm but not insubordinate.

"Detective Waters was reassigned," Captain Willis answered. He paused, trying to guage Dick's reaction. When Dick remained stoic, he continued, "The incident two days ago clearly displayed his inability to handle homicide. There was a general consensus that he would be better suited elsewhere. Specifically in Narcotics."

"What about a partner?" Dick questioned, anxiously awaiting the response. Not that he couldn't handle his work by himself, but beside it being commonplace, he had gotten used to having someone sitting in a desk across from him. It was nice to know someone who had your back would always be there.

"She should be coming in any minute now," Willis answered, again trying to guage Dick's reaction. It was much easier this time around. What with Dick's slack-jawed mumble which Willis assumed to be a "What?"

"_She_?" Dick was definitely surprised. In the four partners he'd been through, none of them had been a she.

"I always took you for a daredevil, Grayson. You pick this point in time to prove me wrong?" Willis replied.

"Yeah. Daredevil. Not lion tamer. I don't know Cap…" Richard quipped, somewhat unsure of the situation he now found himself entering.

"I'll have you know, she had the highest recommendations from Jump City Homicide."

"Well if Jump City likes her so much why didn't they keep her?" Dick asked Willis, waiting for a response. Willis only graced him with an exasperated raised eyebrow.

"I felt like moving," a female voice answered.

Dick turned around to face the mysterious source of the unknown voice, and what he saw amazed him. The woman was of small stature, at least compared to most cops. He figured she was about 5'5 or 5'6. She had flaxen black hair, which was cut short but in layers, the longest at her chin, framing her face wonderfully. He wasn't sure if it was the light or a glare or some godly source, but he could've sworn her eyes were of a purple hue. Simply put: she was stunning.

Unfortunately, such an observation would make his job difficult. So, Dick decided that she was actually one of the more homely women he had encountered. He was quite the playboy. He couldn't just work with someone beautiful. His decision was resolute. Except, in reality, it was crumbling.

"I'm Rachel Roth," the beauty said, extending her hand toward Dick.

Sick of observing his silence, Willis pointed to Dick. "This is your partner, Richard Grayson." Richard immediately stood up offering his hand, shaking out the rest of his unwanted thoughts.

"Most people call me Dick," he said, giving his best lothario smile.

"I guess you'll have to earn it," she said as she firmly grasped his extended hand, smiling. "Most people call me Raven."

"Grayson," Willis called out, grabbing Dick's attention. "Why don't you introduce your partner to the rest of the squad."

"Right. Will do Cap," Dick replied as he opened the door for Raven.

Raven followed Richard to a cluster of desks, two of them filled. "Raven, this is Victor Stone," Richard said, pointing to a bald man with what a caring face. "And this fool," he said pointing to a handsome red head "is Roy Harper, Vic's partner."

Victor immediately rose from his seat and shook Raven's hand. "Nice to meet you."

"Likewise," she replied, returning his genuine smile.

However, Roy was obviously playing the lothario game. "It's a pleasure to meet you," he said in the most charming voice he could muster.

Raven waited a beat before responding, seeing if he would realize his error in manners. When he didn't, she decided to ignore his obvious charm.

"My legs are fine thanks, but I would appreciate it if you looked up here," Raven said as she pointed to her eyes.

"No problem," Roy replied. "the view's just as nice."

"Is he serious with this crap?" Raven asked in disbelief

"Yes." Victor and Dick quickly replied. Raven rolled her eyes.

Hoping to avoid the looming situation, Richard showed Raven to her desk.

"That one's yours," he said, pointing to a bare taupe desk.

"Thanks," she replied as she unpacked the few things she had. He observed the stapler's new home, where she what he assumed to be her favorite pen, and where she thought she was hiding her paper clips. He also recognized the notable absence of anything that might keep the cold metal desk from being just a cold metal desk. Roy had a picture of his daughter Lian framed on his desk. Vic had a picture of his parents and his fiancée Karen. Hell, even Richard had a picture of his adopted brother Tim and himself. These types of things were conspicuously missing from Raven's desk.

'_Guess we can take family off of the list of conversation topics,'_ Dick thought to himself.

"So…" Raven began, attempting to break the silence, "are we working on a case right now?"

"Nope." Richard replied. "We've been waiting all day, but nothing so far."

oOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

"I have difficulty believing no one was murdered in Bludhaven within past 48 hours," Roy said as he yawned. "I mean, Bludhaven is a step below even Gotham. Gotham is a playground compared to this city."

"Unbelievable, I know. How about we grab a drink at Duffy's?" Victor said, grabbing his jacket.

"That's the best idea I've heard all day," Roy replied mimicking Victor's action.

"Hey, Raven? Do want to join us? You can meet the some of the CSU," Richard offered. Raven hesitated, but then agreed.

"Sure, that sounds good."

oOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

Duffy's was a reasonably dark bar, but it had a nice atmosphere. Most of the people were friendly, and you got fast service. It was also most Bludhaven detectives' favorite bar.

When Raven walked in, she saw three people that seemed to recognize the three men that she was accompanied by. A blonde woman, no older than 25, a brown haired man with reasonably striking green eyes, and a tall and voluptuous red head. Seeing them, the brown haired man pulled out a bar stool and pointed to it. Richard took the offered seat, and Raven chose the seat next him.

"Who's your friend?" the brown haired man asked, seemingly interested in her. "This, Garfield, is my new partner Raven Roth," Richard answered, surprising him.

"What happened to Garth?" Gar asked, appearing upset by this piece of information.

"Nice to meet you too," Raven said, eyebrow raised, catching his attention.

"Oh, right, sorry. You caught me by surprise there. I'm Gar Logan. I work for the Crime Scene Unit." He appeared to give Raven the once over, causing her to raise another questioning eyebrow at him. She shook his hand anyway.

Seeing as no one else was being outgoing, Raven decided it was her turn. "Hi, I'm Raven Roth," she said extending her hand to the blonde woman.

"I'm Tara Markov," she said, "It's nice to meet you."

Raven, surprised by her friendliness, replied "Nice to meet you too."

"I'm Kori Anders," the red head said as she grabbed Raven's hand. "Nice to meet you," Raven offered. "Likewise" was all Kori said, as she seemed to be scrutinizing Raven in a manner she couldn't quite identify.

Richard, interjecting, asked, "What can I get you?"

Raven, grateful that he broke the silence, answered "Tom Collins"

"A girl that knows what she wants. That's what I like see." Roy said as he grinned.

"Considering most women don't want overbearing lotharios, I would think you'd be a little bit disappointed…" Raven replied, a little irritated by Roy's constant come-ons.

"Ouch," Tara laughed, as she mimicked Roy with a wince. This got the whole crowd laughing.

"Ha. Ha. Very funny," Roy said as he jokingly pouted, easily rolling with the punches.

Richard returned with Gar, each with an assortment of precariously balanced glasses in their hands.

"Finally!" Roy cried in relief.


	2. Chapter 2

"So he hears the gunshots, and he screams as he ducks behind a dumpster," Roy said, recalling his first case with Dick. "It turns out the 'gunshots' he heard were a bunch of kids throwing rocks at dumpster lids."

Richard, thoroughly embarrassed by that particular recollection, had turned a deep shade of red.

"Cut me some slack. It was my first case. I was a little jumpy." This, of course, did nothing to stifle the laughter.

Almost exactly as everyone managed to calm down, six cell phones rang.

"Really?" Raven asked as she listened to Roy's phone play "I'm Too Sexy."

"I keep it honest where I can," Roy deadpanned. Raven merely raised her eyebrow for what seemed like the hundredth time that day. Ignoring the two, Dick answered his phone first.

"Yeah, we're all here. We'll be there in 10 minutes Cap," he said as he closed his phone, placing it in his pocket.

oOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

The detectives arrived to a brutal scene. Recognizing one of the police officers as patrolwoman Karen Beecher, Dick walked over to her, Raven in tow.

"Hey Dick," Karen greeted, shaking his hand. Noticing the striking woman beside him, Karen inquired. "Who's the rookie?" she asked, nodding in the direction of Raven.

"Raven Roth, formerly of Jump City PD. Trust me: I'm no rookie," Raven said shaking her hand. Turning her attention to the ugly scene before her, Raven stared for a moment, obviously pensive. "Who's the victim?" she asked, looking at the petrified face of a young woman.

"Her driver's license says she's Alana Gould," Karen responded. "It was neatly stacked next to her body, along with what imagine what her pocket change, and a business card. Slade Wilson."

"So this is a message," she stated firmly. Dick couldn't help but agree. "Cause of death?" Raven asked, continuing her inquiry.

"Can't be a hundred percent until the M.E. gets here, but by the looks of things, multiple gunshot wounds," Officer Beecher replied.

"Not to mention blunt force head trauma," Roy added, crouched down beside the victim.

"Nice of you to show up, Harper," Dick stated in passing as he scoped the area.

"It's nice to know I'm missed," Roy replied, giving no indication as to why he took so long to reach the crime scene. Dick decided it wasn't worth the effort. Raven noticing the something was off, ignored Roy's skirting around the obvious question.

"What sort of evidence do we have so?" Raven questioned, observing the little yellow numbered cars thrown about the scene.

"All we have that is of immediate use is this bloody rock, which was obviously one of the weapon's used on this girl," Gar said from behind Officer Beecher.

"Did you look for any prints?" Richard asked, earning himself a glare from Gar.

"No, they forgot to teach us that at the Forensics School for the Professionally Negligent," he replied sarcastically.

"Sorry," Dick said, his hands up in surrender.

"Apology semi-accepted. And there are no prints to find. Whoever the perpetrator was, he or she was very neat. And very obviously not a rookie," Gar added matter-of-factly.

"No prints and essentially no murder weapon. Do we at least know time of death?" Raven asked, clearly exasperated by the gruesome and fact-less situation before them.

Karen shook her head, "We're not sure. Still waiting for the medical examiner."

"Perfect," Raven replied. As if a light bulb suddenly shone, above her head, Raven suddenly perked up.

"Hey, give me your gloves," Raven demanded of Dick, swatting him in the chest to get his attention.

"Don't you have your own?" he asked, clearly unwilling to share.

Raven paused, turning her attention from the body to Dick. Hands on her hips, Raven responded. "Really, are we regressing to kindergarten? I'm not asking for you Lincoln Logs. Now give me your gloves so I can be of some use," she finished, holding her hand out, as she refocused on Alana Gould. Once she felt the presence of gloves in her hands, she put them on, and began her work.

"What are you going to do?" Dick asked. "You're not a medical examiner and the actual medical examiner will kill you if she finds out you messed with the body."

"I interned with a medical examiner before I decided on my career path, so I think I know how to avoid destroying evidence. And I don't plan on doing a field autopsy, so relax," she added. Once again refocusing, Raven knelt beside Alana Gould, touching her arm.

"Rigor has set in, so it's been a few hours." Something obviously caught her attention, and Raven tilted her head to get a better angle at Alana's neck. "She was strangled post mortem," Raven said, observing the faintest of finger marks, brushing away some of the poor girl's long brown hair.

"It's nice to know that we have quite the Renaissance Man on our team," Roy stated somewhat sincerely. "'If you're not too busy working on the string theory or something, we should get back to the office and track down this Wilson guy," he suggested.

oOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

"Alana Gould, 28. Employee at Greenstation Industries. According to her boss, she is a loyal worker that never missed a day," Victor said in monotone, unhappy with the

"Who's her boss?" Roy asked.

"Slade Wilson." Roy gave Vic a look of disbelief. Though it took him a while, Vic looked at Roy and arched an eyebrow.

"What?"

"Slade Wilson?" Roy asked, as if uncertain.

"Yes," Vic replied, a little irritated at having to repeat himself.

"Slade Wilson? As in suspect numero uno?" Roy added, in complete disbelief. Victor raised his eyebrows at the realization.

"I'd say a visit to Mr. Wilson is overdue," Victor said with a smile on his face as he put on his jacket.

oOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

"You were right, the victim was strangled post mortem," a tall man with short but styled brown hair said to Raven.

"Do we know what the cause of death was?" Richard asked Bart Allen, the medical examiner.

"It's hard to tell. She was badly beaten and shot _fourteen times_. Judging by the bloody rock, I would say she was knocked out by a knock to the head, then shot. Obviously it was unnecessary to shoot her fourteen times. She was dead by shot number two or three," Allen said, pointing to the first few gunshot wounds in the chest as he explained. "Whoever did this did it out of anger. This was clearly uncontrolled rage."

"Which suggests this was a crime of passion," Dick put forth. However, upon further thought, such a claim made no sense. "The killer left no viable forensic evidence that we have discovered," he continued, leaning against a counter. It was obvious to Raven that the wheels in Dick's head were turning. "This was a calculated maneuver. This required a certain level of execution that is nearly impossible to accomplish in heated passion." With Raven's next comment, Dick took notice that Raven was keeping up just fine.

"This was a message," she stated firmly. "This was meant as a warning to anyone who was on their way to following in Alana's footsteps. She was an example."

oOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

"So Mr. Wilson: did Ms. Gould seem different or distracted in the past week?" Victor questioned, not actually interested in Wilson's answer. In fact, he was more interested in how he reacted to this whole line of questioning and the authenticity of his answers. Mostly he was leaving this up to Roy though. As the king of bullshit, he could easily separate sincerity from performance.

So far, Roy was seeing that Mr. Wilson was on edge. He had his hands behind his back, but Roy could tell he was fidgeting. A sign of anxiety. No matter how good a performance someone can put on, it is difficult to hide the body's biological tells.

"No," he began what could be perceived as uncertainly. "No," he continued, more sure. "She seemed as normal as ever," Wilson rolled off, glancing at the clock. Victor, as perceptive as Roy in some regards, took notice of this.

"Is there something pressing you Mr. Wilson?" Victor asked with concern as sincere as most of Wilson's answers had been.

"Well, I am a business man, so one can assume I have business to tend to," he said with some obvious and generally unappreciated venom. Roy narrowed his eyes.

"Just a few more minutes of your time, Mr. Wilson," Roy replied with mock politeness. An unidentifiable expression crossed Wilson's face.

"I'm sorry, but I have a very important meeting with my shareholders," Wilson said, seemingly agitated.

"Sir, just give us a couple more-" Victor began, but was cut off.

"No, I'm sorry. I have no more time," he said, moving towards the door of his office. Opening his door and ensuring eye contact, he continued, "Further questions can be asked through my lawyer. My secretary will show you out."

oOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

"So what did Mr. Moneybags have to say?" Willis asked, hoping for some positive news. Before answer, Roy hung up his jacket on the coat rack by his desk. Taking a seat, he leaned back in his chair, letting out an exasperated sigh.

"He verbally told us nothing useful," Roy replied. "Physically, he was showing obvious anxiety, possibly guilt. He is definitely hiding something, if not involved."

"I want a thorough background check. Leave no stone unturned. You're so sure he has something to hide. I trust it'll be found," Willis ordered, gruffly.

oOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

Raven sat at her desk, staring at the fluorescent computer screen for what seemed like days. Finally, she found something of interest.

"There are some suspicious things linked to this Slade Wilson," Raven shouted called across the room, garnering the attention of her fellow detectives.

"What is it?" Roy asked, eagerly anticipating anything resembling good news. The past hours being fruitless, morale was low and desire to go to a bar was high.

"It took a while to notice, but Wilson has some interesting conflicts in his income tax report," Raven said, pointing to the screen in anticipation that everyone else would see her findings.

"I don't see it," Roy replied, clearly not understanding her. "It's obvious that you're pretty much a less annoying version of Rain Man, but we can't all be brilliant." Her eyebrow too tired to arch, Raven completely ignored Roy.

"You see, right here, on his income tax form, it says that his business makes about two billion dollars a year. However, on the company website, it says that the company makes about 2.9 billion," she explained, hoping that everyone understood.

"Could it be a typo?" Victor asked, not sure he wanted to get his hopes up on what could have been some typist's mistake.

"When a guy can hire serious professionals for these sorts of things and he runs a business that relies on his appearance as a successful man, the more specific the better," Richard said in an effort to make his fellow detectives understand.

"What keeps him from lying?" Vic asked posing a good question. One for which Raven had no answer. Taking a minute, Dick finally answered, as if he had an epiphany.

"Serious business interest would look beyond the revenue statement on the company website. They would certainly not appreciate being drawn in by a thinly veiled line. If he lied that blatantly, he would have no business. But, by putting out two different statements, he's banking on the fact that he will never be audited, or that and IRS agent would even bother to look at the site."

"Which is a pretty big risk on its own," Vic finished. "He must be working very hard to at least appear squeaky clean."

"As I was going over the website I found a shareholder's only section and hacked in, but-" Raven was cut off by Roy's exclamation of surprise.

"You hacked in? Maybe you belong in TARU," Roy said.

"Yes, I hacked in, but that's not the point. The point is that shareholders can be part of a business inside the business. Which is most likely where the extra revenue is coming in. After a few calls to some old Jump City contacts, I've come to the conclusion the Greenstations is part of an international drug smuggling ring. All it takes is the right password and immediately, you have drug smuggling boats at your disposal," Raven said as she sat back in her chair.

"What do we know about shipments?" Richard asked.

"They send the goods in with shipments of building supplies." Raven answered. On the same track as everyone else, Roy posed another question.

"How are these drugs distributed?" Raven turned her chair toward Roy.

"From what I can tell, they're probably using mules. People that can't obviously show the connection between Wilson and heroin," she answered. "However, it turns out Alana Gould was roommates with Rose Wilson, Slade's daughter.

"Assuming that this is sheer coincidence, wouldn't this very obviously lead back to Wilson?" Victor asked, obviously stumped by the idiocy of Slade Wilson's plan. It was Roy who answered this time.

"You were in there questioning Slade with me. Arrogance was pouring off of him. He probably thinks he's untouchable." Victor couldn't help but agree. He turned to Raven when it was obvious she had more to tell.

"I ran Rose Wilson's name through the system, and came up with three counts of heroin possession with intent to distribute," Raven answered, staring at Victor.

"If Wilson really was involved, he was certainly tying up the wrong loose end," Roy stated incredulously. His callous statement was followed by silence.

"I think it's time we pay Rose Wilson a visit," Dick suggested.

oOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

Raven, Dick, and Roy approached the reasonably lavish home quite cautiously. It surprised them that a drug addict like Rose Wilson lived in such a wealthy looking home. But then again, when Daddy pays the bills, it's apparently easy living.

Dick looked around the neighborhood, noticing a suspicious absence of lights. It was well past sunset and every other light on the block was on. "Doesn't look like anyone's home," Dick remarked.

"Wow, you really are a detective, Grayson," Raven deadpanned. Shaking her head, she continued, "We should probably knock anyway. Due diligence, and all," Raven said as she rapped on the door. After a few moments of silence, Raven, obviously impatient, decided she needed to be a little more direct. Roy beat her to the punch.

"Rose Wilson, this is the police. We have a few questions regarding Alana Gould. If you could spare us the few minutes it would take, we would appreciate your help" More silence followed. And then there was shuffling.

"Around back!" Dick said in excitement as he opened the gate that led to the rear door. Raven paused. As Roy was pulling out his gun from his hip holster, he called out "I'll stay up front, you grab the back door!"

Running along the cemented walkway, Raven noticed several surveillance cameras. Though not completely unreasonable for a home of this caliber, she thought it was a little odd. However, she didn't really have time to focus on minor peculiarities. As she turned to face the steps Dick was about to ascend, she noticed a gleam in the moonlight. A gleam that resembled a spider's web. Suddenly, it occurred to her.

"TRIP WIRE!" she screamed, tackling Dick.

The force of the explosion blew the pair back against a tree, causing some serious pain for Raven, who was mostly on top of Dick in an effort to protect him. Dazed from the blast, the two of them lay still as the back porch was engulfed by flames. Almost entranced, neither of them could hear Roy shouting as he ran behind the house to check on his associates. Raven's attention snapped to Roy, whose mouth was moving. She couldn't quite make out the words. Finally her hearing returned.

"Are you alright?" Roy shouted, moving to put out a flame that had caught Raven's jacket. Rolling off of Dick, Raven instructed Roy to check on Dick, who was apparently unconscious.

"Raven, you were just on fire. Let me—" He was cut off by Raven putting her hand up.

"Him first. I'm awake. That's already better than I can say for him," she said, rolling onto her side. She winced, a movement that didn't escape Roy's observations. However, he decided it was easier to appease and took a look at Raven's partner. Dick was breathing steadily and rosy-cheeked. A little fed up with waiting, Roy smacked him.

"Wake up!"

Surprisingly enough, Dick stirred, and, as if shaking off a bad dream, shook his head and sat up.

"What the hell—" Dick's exclamation of obvious confusion was cut off by Raven's exasperated answer.

"Trip wire nearly blew us to hell. Be a little more observant next time." Closing her eyes and breathing deeply, Raven's hand went to her back. Dick was already standing, getting up with a little help from Dick. Again noticing Raven's obvious difficulty getting up, Roy abandoned Dick, kneeling next to Raven."

"Take it easy," he instructed as he took her arm and placed it around her neck. Hoisting her up with his arm around her waist, Raven was obviously standing with at least a little difficulty. She winced. Moving to go walk on her own, Roy insisted he help her out.

"Well, that was quite incriminating," Raven managed to sputter out between coughs as Roy walked with her to the squad car. He helped her rest on top of the hood as he pulled out his cell phone. Requesting an ambulance, Roy leaned on the hood alongside Raven while Dick took a seat on the curb. When the ambulance finally arrived, they checked Dick and Raven for concussions, both testing negative. Treating Raven's burn from the fiery shrapnel, examining the resulting bruise from her impact with the tree, and patching up the lacerations on her face from the blast in general, Raven looked to be in much worse shape than Dick. When she finally leapt off the back bumper of the ambulance, Dick and Roy looked a little shocked to see all the bandaging.

"You look like hell," Dick piped up. Raven punched his arm as hard as she could, obviously hitting a bruise. Dick winced, muttering a string of words unfit for human ears. Roy laughed, as he got into the driver's side of the car, getting ready to leave.

"And that's why I didn't say anything."

oOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo

When Richard and Raven returned to station, they were immediately greeted by Gar, who was in the office comparing evidence with Victor's notes about the Alana's crime scene. Turning from Vic's desk, Gar looked taken aback.

"Jeez, you look like—"

Roy cut him off before he could say anything lethal. "I'd lay off the commentary. Most of Dick's injuries at this point have nothing to do with the explosion he set off and nearly everything to do with commentary." Gar decided to take Roy's advice and stay quiet. The silence continued until the detectives heard the door open. A platinum-haired woman walked in, looking around somewhat expectantly.

"I'm Rose Wilson," she said. "I'm here about my roommate, Alana Gould."

Raven, suddenly getting her second wind, indicated she would handle the situation. Approaching Rose, the first thing Raven hear was "You look like shit." Roy and Dick's eyes went wide. Raven, generally unphased, just grabbed her arm and firmly stated, "You're coming with me."

Leading her past the desks and down a somewhat dark hallway, Raven brought Rose to a small, taupe room. After being blown up, she decided interrogation was a little more appropriate. Letting go of her arm and indicating the seat in across from the chair she had pulled out, Raven sat down, followed by Rose.

"Well, Ms. Wilson, you are not exactly a shining example of character right now," Raven said, playing with the pencil that was resting on top of the note pad that was already in the room.

Willis decided to let Raven interrogate her alone, seeing as she tried to come on to Richard. And Roy. And Vic. Raven had been interrogating her for a good forty five minutes with no result. Raven was looking across the table intently, studying all of Rose's facial expressions and body movements. So far, she was reading nothing. Rose, on the other hand, was leaning forward, elbow on the table, head resting on her hand. Clearly losing patience, she sighed.

"Look, like I told you before, I didn't do anything. That apartment belonged to Alana," she exclaimed in a desperate attempt to salvage her innocence.

"Such arrogance," Raven exclaimed in disbelief. "Do you really believe the police aren't savvy enough to do a little research? Your daddy's name was on the deed. That house was in YOUR family," Raven said, obviously as impatient as Rose.

"No, I swear, it-" Raven cut off the blubbering woman. "Quite frankly, I have had enough of your bullshit, Ms. Wilson. We are not as incompetent as you'd like to believe. Who the house belonged to is a matter of public record." Raven began to raise her voice. "Now, if you don't stop lying to me, I am going to place you under arrest for impeding an investigation. You don't exactly look like you'd fit in in cell block A?"

Rose Wilson's entire demeanor change. In the beginning, it was that of a woman trying to prove her innocence. Now it was that of a woman who knew they knew she was duilty of something, but couldn't prove what she was guilty of.

"Darling, you couldn't touch me even if it was that simple." Rose grinned. "I'd like my lawyer now."

Furious, Raven stood up, the picture of composure. "This isn't over,' she stated simply as she stepped out of the interrogation room.

"She's not about to say anything. She's But she knows something," Raven said angrily.

"She's got to be in her father's drug ring. She knows why Alana was murdered. She knows everything we want to know. Right now, she's holding all the cards," Dick said calmly as he began formulating a new way to attack this investigation.


	3. Chapter 3

Detectives Harper and Roth approached Bart Allen, hoping for better news than was expected. It was clear that there was no way the bad news could be avoided. They had another body on their hands.

Raven was the first to speak, though neither detective had anything to say. 72 hours straight of fruitless work could do that to a person, it seemed. To Bart, the most obvious sign that the detectives were generally frazzled were the dark circles under their eyes and their wrinkled shirts. Not to mention the fact that Roy was closing his eyes behind what he thought were darkly tinted sunglasses.

"Who's the victim?" she asked, sighing in exasperation and sadness.

"Her name is Joanna Custer. She's twenty seven." Bart knew the case by now, and knew that the previous victim was connected to the latest one.

"Let me guess: fourteen bullet holes, blunt force head trauma, and post mortem strangling," Roy said, as if this was mundane. Which, in reality, sickened him.

"Yes, however, fluids were present," Bart replied. The detectives, who had been inspecting the body and its position, transferred their gaze from the dead woman to Allen.

"She was assaulted?" Roy asked in disbelief, suddenly realizing he could, in fact, be more disgusted with this case than ever before.

Raven took a more careful inspection of the body. Miniskirt. Thigh-high lace ups. Cleavage. Lots of it. _Oh_.

"Look at the way she's dressed Roy," Raven answered wistfully, "She was a prostitute." The look on Roy's face suggested the idea clicked with him. However, once more, he frowned.

"She still could have been assaulted," Roy replied, not sure that this woman's…profession mattered.

At this point, Bart decided it would be a good time to enlighten the detectives. Hopefully before they became too enthralled with all of the other details.

"I could only do a cursory examination, but I'm nearly positive this was not sexual assault. I'll let you know for sure after I get her back to the morgue, but I'm going to have to side with raven on this one."

"Which is not to say she wasn't assaulted. It just means she consented," Raven replied, upset with the entire situation, not taking any pride in her observance. She turned away, heading back to the squad car. As she was sitting down, Roy made her to pause.

"Who says you're driving?" he asked.

"Holy Crap! What is it with you people? Why can't I drive?" Raven said, a vein throbbing in her forehead. Taking notice, Roy backed down. Taking his seat, Roy made sure to buckle in. Taking notice of his obvious desire to tightly harness himself in, Raven promised to give him the ride of his life. She put the car in gear and drove back to the station.

oOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

Roy unbuckled his seatbelt with shaky hands. He opened the car door, stepping out onto the sidewalk. Roy was speechless. Well, he actually wasn't.

"I don't think I've ever gotten from the docks to the precinct in 20 minutes," he said laughing. "I don't think anyone has. Ever. Congratulations."

"I'll accept my award later," she said, closing the door behind her and walking around to meet Roy as they strode toward the precinct doors.

As soon as they crossed the threshold of the building, Dick grabbed Roy, pulling him right back out the sidewalk. Not particularly in the mood for argument, Roy merely posed a simple question/

"Where're we going?"

"We're going to talk to Wilson," Dick replied, face like stone."We have to see what this guy is up to."

Raven, who has paused at the door when someone she was walking next and actively conversing with was suddenly back outside, but chuckled to herself and continued inside. Realizing all the desks were empty, she went investigating. The first place she checked was the affectionately titled "Edison Hall." This is where the interrogation rooms were located. And where light bulbs were so painfully neglected once they started to malfunction and flicker.

This is where she found Victor in the interrogation room questioning Rose Wilson's friend, "Jinx." Judging by his facial expression, Raven assumed he was yielding no results. There had to be some way to get evidence of something—hell, anything at this point. Even a parking ticket would suffice. Becoming as frustrated as Vic looked in what she imagined was much less time, Raven made her way back to her desk to start some research.

oOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

Roy decided to cover the side entrance while Dick knocked on the door.

"Slade Wilson, this is the Bludhaven Police Department. We'd like to speak with you," Richard yelled as he waited for an answer. They tried the same thing a few more times, when they heard shuffling—possibly the most irritating noise a cop could ever hear. Waiting for confirmation, Dick cursed under his breath when Roy called out from the side.

"He's going out the window!" Roy yelled, drawing his gun and giving chase. The man ran into a neighboring alley, knocking over garbage cans and other trash to slow down the detectives in pursuit. By this point, Dick had caught up to Roy and was easily gaining on the dark, running

STOP, THIS IS THE POLICE!" Dick yelled between heaving breaths. Luckily, the man tripped on a coat rack he knocked over a little too early. As he got up, he was tackled by two of Bludhaven's finest. Turning the man over, as he had been laying face down, Dick saw the figure in question was none other than Slade Wilson. Looking up at Roy as he put the handcuffs on him, he grinned.

"Well isn't this a compromising position?" Roy said, grinning just as widely as Dick.

"Slade Wilson, you're under arrest for evading the police and impeding and investigation. You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law," Roy said, reciting list of Miranda rights. With that, they picked the Wilson up, and hauled him into the backseat of their blue sedan.

oOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo

"So, Slade, how do you feel about recreational drugs?" Roy asked, turning the chair opposite Wilson around sitting down. His sleeves rolled up, he folded his arms on the table. Slade merely raised an eyebrow, generally unimpressed and uninterested.

"I don't see what this has to do with anything. I have nothing to do with drugs," he said wit obvious exaggeration. "I want my lawyer," Wilson said. He crossed his arms and leaned back in the chair, very clearly not concerned with his situation. Roy leaned forward, arms on the table and fingers interlaced.

"Well that's good, because you'll need one," Roy replied walked out of the dimly lit room.

Victor, who had been "chatting" with Jinx up until that point, stood up and closed the door behind him, leaving Jinx to stew over her predicament. Immediately searching for Raven, he found her pouring over something on her computer and some files, he approached her with some vigor.

"Guess who that was," Victor said, obviously brimming with some sort of new information.

"Judging by the way she was dressed, I'd have to say a hooker. Mozeltov" Raven replied, not turning from her computer screen.

"Thanks," Vic replied in monotone. "And guess who she was friends with," he added, this time grabbing her attention. Turning away from the screen and spinning around in her chair to see Vic leaning against his desk with a look of triumph on his face.

"Alana Gould," she replied, in an interested tone.

"And Joanna Custer. But now guess whose she's working for," Vic said as a smile crossed his face.

"You're sure she wasn't lying?" Raven asked in utter disbelief.

"It's really Slade Wilson," he answered, enthusiastic for the first time in this entire case. Both of them were pleased with this new found insight.

Entering the main room of the precinct, Dick eye's searched the space for Raven, eager to take advantage of some well-earned break time**.** Finally resting upon her short black hair, he approached her. Raven, somewhat unable to read his expression, turned around completely to face him and narrowed her eyes.

oOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo

"So what do you want to know about me? You did drag me down here. Don't get shy now," Raven commented, noticing Dick's sudden silence. Possibly the most outgoing and flirtatious man she knew wanted to get to know her better, and now he was playing coy.

Dick invited Raven down to Duffy's to get to know her. If he was going to be putting his life in her hands, he figured he wanted to know who his life was going to.

"I just feel like I may have come on a little forceful just now," he replied sheepishly. "Sorry about that. I guess I'll start with me. But you have to promise you'll take me seriously. It's going to sound a little odd."

"Scout's honor," Raven answered, holding up her hand. _This oughta be interesting_. Taking a deep breath, Dick began.

"Alright. When I was young—I mean _really_ young—my parents and I were part of a circus act. The Flying Graysons. Trapeze. My mom used to call me Robin because of the way I would fly around the tent." Up until this point, Dick's face showed nostalgia and joy. Like looking at a photoalbum from childhood. Dick then paused for a moment, his content demeanor changing to sadness.

"One night, before our act in Gotham, I saw this hood trying to shakedown Mr. Hailey, the owner of the circus. Hailey sent him away, but he didn't really seem like he was backing down. So, when we began our performance, I could tell something was off. That's when I really the goon that tried was hasseling Mr. Hialey had sabotaged the strings we were actively swinging from. My parents fell to their deaths in front of the crowd." At this point, Dick was staring down at his drink, very obviously pained by the memory. He didn't even look at Raven because he knew the look she would have. Pity. He hated pity. But, he looked up and anyway and was surprised by what he saw. He didn't see pity, at least not a lot of it. He saw understanding. _Oh_. His interest momentarily outweighing his grief, Dick continued his story.

"Bruce Wayne—" seeing the look on her face as she spit out her drink, Dick beat her to the punch, "Yes, that Bruce Wayne—took me in. I found out the murderer's name was Tony Zucco. He escaped. So I became a cop to catch him."

"Did you?" she asked, quite engrossed in his story.

"I caught wind of him a few years back, but never actually caught him," he replied somewhat angrily. Realizing she had hit a sore spot, Raven tried her best to change the subject.

"So what was life like as the ward of the infamous Bruce Wayne?" Raven asked somewhat incredulously. Dick smiled, obviously coming across much happier memories.

"For the most part, it was great," he said matter-of-factly. "Bruce is a really great guy and he could afford to give me the best of the best. He really indulged my interests, helped me cultivate all the things I needed to do what I wanted to do. There is no way I could be what I am today without him." Leaning across the table, Dick continued in a hushed voice.

"Don't tell anyone, but he really isn't the airhead he plays in his daily life. He's actually the most intelligent person I have ever encountered and he is definitely the most generous."

Raven chuckled a bit. "I don't think anyone would believe me even if I tried to convince them anyway." Dick joined her in a quick laugh, and then the duo returned to silence. Raven took that as her invitation to spill.

"Life was great when I was young, as far as I could tell. My mom was really good to me, and I loved her with all of my heart. My dad worked all the time, so I never got to know him that well, which I guess I didn't really care about at that point in time." Raven stopped to take a swig of her drink, a reasonably long one at that. Not eager to continue, she sighed sadly and went on.

"I distinctly remember it," she said nodding her head. Dick didn't know what she was talking about, but he knew he was about to find out.

"When I was four, my parents had gotten into a fight. It was about money, I think, but that's not really important," she said, obviously going on tangents to avoid the truth. Dick could tell that this was something she buried, something she rarely, if ever, unearthed.

"Anyway, my father started yelling. I went to the corner of the next room, trying to block out the sound. He had a booming voice, and when he was angry, he sounded like the Devil himself." Raven started fidgeting, spinning the glass around in circles, going off on tangents in her mind.

"My mother threatened to take me and leave. I don't really understand why he got so upset; he never cared about either of us." Her digressions confirmed Dick's suspicions. There was something he was about to be privy to that few others were.

"Anyway, he started to poor himself glasses of scotch or brandy or whiskey or something. Whatever he had in his liquor cabinet. My mother made what I always assumed was a move to leave the room, and he grabbed her arm. By that point I was watching through the crack in the door. Then, he began wailing on her, knocked her out cold. I ran into the room crying, and I jumped on top of her hoping my presence would make him stop." She paused again, this time eyes narrowed and unfocused. "It didn't." She stopped again, shaking her head.

"He just kicked me off of her like a piece of garbage. I hit the wall pretty hard. My mom tried to get up to help me. When she realized she wouldn't reach me, she started crying and told me to run. I tried to get up—God, I tried so hard—but I felt so weak." Dick couldn't help but feel guilty as Raven started tearing up. She was holding them back, but it was obvious she was reliving this day, and he knew it was because of a question he asked.

"He was infuriated. He placed his foot over her throat and pressed." She closed her eyes. She realized she was supposed to be sharing, but she wasn't about to cry in front of someone she had known from less than two months.

"He waited until she stopped squirming. Once I saw he lying there, _motionless_, I mustered all the strength in me, and ran out of the room. Unfortunately I heard him coming, so I hid in the next room. He saw me. But he didn't see my mother.

"She had played possum. She knew he would underestimate her. On her way out of the room, she grabbed a letter opener. She stabbed him in the shoulder. My mom told me to run, so I did. The second I turned around, I saw him plunging the letter opener into her throat. Terrified as I was, I didn't want him to find me, so I ran into my room. There was a little secret door my mom and I found when we cleaned out my closet that day. I opened the window and pushed out the screen to make it look like I jumped out the first story window. I ran into the little door in the closet and closed it." Raven continued to fidget, unable to look Dick in the eye for fear of him seeing her unstable. She pinched the bridge of her nose and closed her eyes.

"I heard him coming, and I thought I was dead. I thought he was going to find me. When I heard him open the door, I almost screamed. But he didn't open the closet." She left out the part where she wept for almost four hours straight, struggling to be as quiet as she could. She didn't need to be _that _vulnerable.

"I didn't sleep the entire night. In what I then assumed to be the morning, I heard him open the back door. He was dragging my mother out. I thought it was my chance, so I ran towards the front door." She shook her head, obviously criticizing herself for what she believed to be a mistake.

"I was so stupid—so _loud_. He saw me. I jumped into the neighbor's bushes, but he found me. He told me that as long as I never told anyone, he wouldn't hurt me." Dick caught the critical look again.

"He lied. He broke my arm trying to get me back in the house." Raven rubbed her arm, feeling a ghost of the ache of that day.

"The neighbors saw my mom's body in the back yard and called the police. They picked him up and took me to the hospital. I never told them what happened. I was in shock and I was afraid he could still hurt me. But he was sloppy, and they didn't need my testimony to prove that he did it. I bounced around from foster home to foster home until I went to college on a full scholarship. Eventually, I ended up here." Raven was finished, and it was clear when she finished her beer.

Dick was unsure how to react. Sure, his childhood was rough. But, compared to hers, it seemed like heaven. They sat in silence for a while. Now, there wasn't much to talk about. There wasn't much they wanted to talk about.

"Why don't we walk back to the station? It's close," she offered, tired of being in the bar. If she felt like spilling anymore, she was going to be tipping over.

"Sounds good to me," Dick said as he moved to cover the bar tab. Raven smacked his hand.

"Let's at least split," she said, throwing her half of the check on the table. Shaking his head and chuckling, Dick put on his coat and followed Raven out of the bar, out onto the cold, windy streets of Bludhaven.

"So we're obviously both damaged goods," Raven said, chuckling and looking down at the sidewalk as she put her hands in her pockets. "I don't know about you, but it shows for me." Her chuckling died away, but the jaded smile that had formed remained.

"I take it your relationships don't last?" Dick said, obviously commiserating.

"Considering I spend more time with Ben and Jerry than I do with anyone else, I'd say that's a fair assessment," she replied, matter-of-factly.

"I know what you mean," Dick began, "My last girlfriend was great. She was kind and understanding and beautiful, but she was too damn perfect." Dick put his hands in his pocket and continued, "She could never understand the things I went through, how I handle it. She was compassionate, but she pitied. She never understood." He started shaking his head, "Not that I ever want her to understand."

"It was Kori, wasn't it," Raven said, turning to face Dick. It was more of statement than a question.

Dick looked at her in disbelief. "How did you know?"

"I _am_ a detective. Plus, when I met her, she looked at me with protective eyes. Protective of you, that is," she replied with a light laugh.

Raven, realizing they still had three blocks to go, pulled her jacket tighter around her body, as the chill was beginning to get to her. Noticing her movements, Dick shifted to block her from the wind as best he could.

"So, what about you?" Richard asked, genuinely curious considering she seemed like she had a few stories to tell.

"My last real relationship ended when a witness to a murder identified him as her husband. And the murderer" she finished with a bitter laugh. Dick winced at the sound of someone who was very clearly fed up with just about everything.

"Why do keep doing this job?" Dick asked, very suddenly. He stopped walking in the middle of the sidewalk. Quickly enough, Raven realized he stopped and she turned to face him, slightly caught off guard by his question.

"What do you mean?" she asked, honestly baffled by the question.

"I mean that you are probably one of the most jaded people I've ever met. You're sarcastic, and you're pretty pessimistic," he said, counting off the invisible check list in his head. "How do you keep going with this job?"

"Excuse me?" Raven asked rather loudly, amazed that he thought he could be so brazen. "I'm sorry I'm not exactly Little Miss Sunshine, but I do get the job done. I'm not—" She was clearly on a tear when Dick threw his hands up in surrender and interjected.

"Okay that came out _really_ wrong. I meant how do you manage to stay afloat?" Raven quickly went from enraged to sedate, her expression becoming much softer.

"I can still remember how I felt when the detective treated me like I was evidence," she began bitterly. "I wasn't the dead person and because I was so scared and wouldn't speak, they acted like I was useless," she continued, shaking her head as if she was shaking off the anger. Dick could only be enveloped the level of energy she was giving off. "I decided that I could help people, not just kids, realize that when someone is killed, the living people need to take precedence because they are the people that are still here, the people that have to deal with the aftershock."

Raven, now completely, was trying to read Dick's expression. He was quiet, but contemplative. She couldn't quite get the look in his eyes, though. It was very foreign to her, and something she recognized as an emotion she hadn't seen directed toward her in a while. But she was having immense difficulty identifying it, so, she subconsciously took two steps forward, bringing herself closer to his eyes in an effort to get a clearer read. His look intensified. Her eyes widened. _Oh_. Attraction. But not the flirtatious attraction. She saw that every day. She worked with Roy Harper, for God's sakes. This was different.

Different wasn't good—at least not right now, it wasn't. She blinked rapidly, hoping what she saw would change. And still, the look remained.

Dick was utterly clueless as to what was happening. All he knew was Raven moved closer, and then started blinking a lot. He arched an eyebrow. Raven, realizing how odd she must've looked, peered at her watch.

"I think it's time we go back," Raven said, hurrying towards the precinct with Dick in tow.

oOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo

As Raven and Dick walked in, the approaching Roy paused, noticing something was off. Narrowing his eyes and trying to read his friends' expressions, he saw nothing discernible, so he ignored it, moving toward them once again. _What the hell did you do, Grayson?_

"I got Slade alone in interrogation," Roy said, nearly bounding up to the entering duo.

"And?" Raven asked, genuinely intrigued, as she threw her coat over her desk chair. Roy's expression soured. Dick knew the answer.

"He's not going to budge. He's got a lawyer, I assume," Dick stated, waiting for Roy's answer. He saw the confirmation.

"So where do we go from here?" Raven asked, leaning against her desk, arms crossed.

"You're not going anywhere," a familiar voice answered. The trio turned their heads to the source of the voice, in the same direction as Willis' office. Roy and Dick already knew it was before they saw him. They just wanted visual confirmation.

"Somehow, I don't think I take orders from you, Garth," Roy stated, highlighting how contentious their relationship could be.

"No you don't. But you do take orders from your captain. And he takes order from the commissioner," he replied, trying to keep Richard calm, as he could the spark on the fuse.

"I don't really know you, but I can tell from this little scene that you need to stand over there," Raven said as she pointed to the farthest desk in the area. She was taking into account Roy's obviously dark silence and Dick's clenched fists, and she didn't feel like dealing with all the anger. "I can't deal with this much testosterone in one area."

Vic, who had just caught wind of the situation and walked into the group area chuckled at Raven's statement. He also saw Garth his hands up and take a few steps forward.

"Look, I'm really not trying to step on your toes here. These orders didn't come from me, they came from the commissioner. I know this sucks, and I don't like doing it, but we're taking over the drug investigation." He paused. "Let's be honest, you have no jurisdiction."

Dick inhaled sharply, but deeply, trying to control his frustration. He leaned against his desk.

"The drug ring is very obviously intertwined with the _homicide_, which takes precedence over the anything narcotics would cover. This at least calls for inter-departmental cooperation," he said, offering an unsurprisingly reasonable solution. Vic chuckled. _The Great Compromiser, as always._

"We'll give you disclosure, but we've already got a plan in place. We're just waiting for some of the players to be in place," Garth replied, at a loss that he couldn't meet Dick's compromise. "We're at an impasse."

"You're sending someone undercover," Raven stated, leaving no hint of a question in her voice, stepping out from behind the men that had been standing in front of her while she sat at her computer. Garth admitted to himself that he forgot she was even there. Hell, he didn't even know her name. He waited, considering whether he should even fill her in. Finally, he answered.

"Yes, we're sending someone undercover. We're waiting while our captain goes through candidates," he answered surprisingly honestly, or at least that's what Raven thought.

"Why don't you send someone from homicide?" she asked, clearly setting her sights on a larger goal.

Garth was becoming increasingly irritated. Some chick he didn't even know had suddenly cozied up with his old precinct buddies and now she held more respect than him. _Bullshit_.

"Look, I already talked to Willis, who talked to your captain, by the way, and he agrees. We should infiltrate Wilson's drug ring," Raven said, speaking to Garth.

"That's what Narcotics was planning to do," Garth's tone obviously becoming more and more vexed by the second.

"Well, Homicide has more information on him, making us better suited to handle the case," she replied, with a little more venom than she expected.

Garth couldn't really argue. The case had come across his desk that morning. He barely even remembered what Wilson's first name was. Hell, he barely even remembered that Wilson was his last name.

Vic finally decided to enter the conversation, now actually intrigued.

"You obviously have someone in mind, Rae." It was more of a statement than a question. Raven turned her attention to the one person that had never annoyed her in her tenure at Bludhaven homicide.

"Me," Raven answered curtly. Dick was not happy. He'd been a part of undercover stings before. While he would trust his partners with his life, he wasn't sure he would trust it, in part, to a department that he didn't know and that didn't know him.

"Can't we send a fresh patrolman or something? There would be less of a chance of identification," Dick said, doing his best to convince her from undertaking unnecessary risk. He was failing miserably.

Raven merely arched her eyebrow and crossed her arms as she turned to face Dick.

"Come on, Dick. You know that fresh patrolmen are either jumpy or too eager to prove themselves. We need someone with experience. And I'm new to this town. I wasn't a beat cop, so no one on the street is going to make me." Even Dick couldn't find a solid argument to battle that logic.

"She's got a point, Dick," Garth said, unable to deny that Raven had a point.

Vic and Roy were as concerned as Dick, but they weren't quite as vocal throughout this conversation. However, Vic needed to know this was bulletproof.

"You're positive Slade never saw you? Not leaving the precinct? Not coming in?" he asked, desperate to know she wasn't risking herself.

"He didn't have the opportunity," she replied firmly, looking him dead in the eye. Vic nodded, accepting her resolve.

Dick was not happy, but Vic took more notice of Roy, who hadn't said a word in quite some time, which was unusual, though usually not uninvited. However, Vic knew his silence was him making sure he didn't say anything stupid. Which meant he was as concerned as everyone else.

Looking at the two men, who were both in tense stances, Vic offered his only suggestion.

"I guess we should start planning, then, shouldn't we?" Turning to Garth, Vic looked him in the eye, and narrowed his gaze.

"We're running this operation. I remember your department. Your team plays a little too fast and loose for my taste." He saw that Garth about to protest, but, like any good older brother (figure), he looked at the bully before him, crossed his arms and stood up his straightest and tallest. Which was pretty damn tall. Garth backed down. Raven could only look on with vague appreciation, but mostly irritation. _This is going to be fun_.


	4. Chapter 4

Raven had spent the last few months growing into her niche in Bludhaven homicide. Six months after joining the precinct, it was as if she was there from her rookie days. She had her routines, and traditions. When she went to a local diner, no one had to bring her a menu because they knew what she would be having. She had dinner at Vic and Karen's place every Thursday.

After giving Raven a ride to work when her car broke down about a month and a half into her time at Bludhaven PD, he noticed the only things in her fridge were Chinese food cartons. So, he insisted she come over and eat with him and Karen, have a nice home-cooked meal. She turned down the invitation because she didn't want to be the third wheel; besides, seclusion suited her. Vic didn't give up on her for the entire day. So, she consented. Then Vic asked again. And Raven consented somewhat more quickly. By the fourth Thursday, she was asking Vic what time she should come over. She couldn't help but admit that it was nice to have some semblance of a family.

Vic wasn't the only one who began sewing Raven into his little life quilt. When Raven found out Roy had a daughter who desperately needed babysitting for reasons Raven suspected were less than puritanical, Raven reluctantly agreed after some serious incentive. However, by the end of that night, Lian Harper fell in love with Raven, and Raven couldn't help but admit that, despite not exactly being a kid-person, she had a soft spot for that bubbly little girl. After that first night, Roy was so grateful that Raven helped out, he offered to buy her a drink. Raven knew he was joking, but she had one serious request. _"Why did you need me to babysit Lian tonight?"_

When Roy pulled a 10 year chip out of his pocket from narcotics anonymous, Raven couldn't help but hug him. From then on, she always made time to babysit Lian any night he had a meeting, which happened to be mostly Tuesdays. As a gesture to show his gratitude, every once in a while, Roy would treat her to breakfast, or dinner, or lunch. Usually it was whatever Lian wanted, actually.

Friday was "guys'" night. It used to _actually_ be just guys' night, but then Raven joined the precinct and the titular "guys" liked her too much to exclude her, so they added the quotation marks in her interest. The regulars were Gar, Garth, Dick, Roy, Vic, Bart, and now Raven. The night usually started at Duffy's and moved to someone's apartment, typically whoever's was cleanest and had the best stocked fridge. Surprise, surprise, this was almost always Raven's house.

So, Raven had a pretty full plate a lot of the time. What with going to the grocery store every three days to make sure she had enough food around just in case she was housing Lian and the "guys" in the same week and making sure she always had wine or beer or dessert to bring to Vic's, Raven was never idle. But she had some true friends to show for it—something she hadn't been able to say in a long while.

Not to mention, her and her partner were getting along really well, much better than her and her partner from Jump City. Dick at least got her the right coffee every morning.

Despite how well they got on, Raven was having difficulty expressing the level of frustration she felt. The people she would need full cooperation from were not only worried about her, but seemingly non-compliant to each and every one of her ideas and requests. Dick**,** to be specific_._ _Way to earn it._

However, she had to somehow push all of this to the back of her mind. She had to focus. Despite all of the obstacles that posed. She decided to indulge Willis is one more quick debriefing in his office. She walked in to find Miller scowling in the corner, while the other guys were being filled in.

Miller was clearly not impressed. He didn't like that Homicide was invading what was Narco's territory. Raven took notice, in an attempt to let him feel like he actually wasn't despised by everyone in the room.

"Look, I know you are not pleased with this situation, but this is how it's going to be." She was about to leave, but she stopped and turned back around to face Jeff. "And for the record, he will get a ten times longer sentence if he is convicted of a double homicide than he would get on any drug charges." He was staring daggers, but Raven just crossed her arms.

"So what, we're just going to sit and watch while you play cat and mouse? You're gonna goad the answers out of him? I don't think so. That's not how it works," Miller spat in a harsh tone. "Wilson is going to do whatever the hell he wants with you, and he won't divulge anything incriminating while doing it." He was in Raven's face, leaning down the slightest bit to get his point across. "He's going to make sure you're true, and the only way he is going to be able to find out is if you go through with the process. Do what you want, but I'm not going sit on the sidelines. This is Narco's case, and clearly, you sure as hell won't handle very well. Not as long as you make yourself call-girl that won't put out." Miller narrowed his eyes. "Unless you really are a whore."

"That's enough!" Willis yelled, except his voice couldn't beat Raven's punch. She landed a right hook on his jaw, causing him to immediately wince in pain. Miller clutched his throbbing mouth. "You little—" He was cut off by Roy and Vic, who tackled him to the ground.

Raven stood in front of him, as if daring him to hit her. " I could take you in four moves, so I would advise you not to bother." Raven narrowed her eyes at him. Certain that she couldn't be more intimidating at this point, she turned and exited Willis's office.

"You stupid jackass," Dick screamed before he followed Raven out in an attempt to defuse the situation. However, Willis had his eyes fixed on Jeff.

"You little shit. What the hell is the matter with you? I oughta have your ass fired for the second outburst in a year. But I'm going to spare you this time," Willis said in a venomous tone. Miller made a move to leave, but Willis wasn't finished yet. "If you plan on ruining this investigation, then you better think twice, because you have direct orders from your captain not to interfere. You got me? Enjoy your unpaid suspension."

Miller just glared at the man. "Aye, aye captain," he said as he left.

Raven _knew_ that Mr. Wilson had never seen her face. Even with that knowledge, this operation would be risky. Her new identity would have to be completely separate and totally untraceable in the best senses of the term. It needed to have enough substance to cover her entire life, but not enough to prove suspiciously specific. In the middle of her concentration, Vic approached Raven at her desk. Reading her expression, he arched a questioning eyebrow.

"Nervous?"

Startled out of her focus, Raven looked up to find Vic sitting on the edge of the desk. She shook her head.

"Not in the I-might-die sense. I've always gotten butterflies before a sting. It keeps me on my toes," she replied somewhat jokingly.

"Or at least you hope so," Vic said under his breath. Raven laughed.

"Gee, Mr. Optimistic, thanks for the well wishes," Raven replied sarcastically as she re-centered the picture of her at her second "guys'" night. Vic took notice of this, and his smile faded. He realized that she looked at somewhat wistfully. Which was not a good sign. He put his hand on her shoulder, catching her attention once more. Looking her in the eye, he offered his assurances.

"But seriously, you'll do great. You're smart and you're tough." Leaning in closer, he continued, "Not to mention the best of the force have your back," he said gesturing over his shoulder to where Dick and Roy were feverishly playing paper football. Raven looked past Vic to the guys and raised her eyebrow.

"I feel safer already," she replied as Vic looked over his shoulder and shook his head when he realized what they were doing.

"Okay," he corrected, "you've got me and Willis."

Raven stood up, pushing her chair back, and put her hand on top of Vic's.

"Thank you," she said, with as much sincerity as she could must when two grown men ten feet away were trying to score a folded up piece of paper through fingers.

The rest of the day was generally uneventful. They had already forwarded their cases to the nearest precincts so they could focus solely on the undercover operation. Garth had been hanging around Homicide, amassing as much intel as he could, as he was the liaison between Homicide and Narcotics. He had another detective, Jeff Miller, with him every once in a while, but he was a prick, especially after Raven turned him down after a disastrous attempt at flirting.

When Raven got up to leave, she immediately got a bear hug from Roy and Vic, separately of course. Garth shook her hand and wished her good luck, while Miller hung out in the corner. Gar, Tara, Kori, and Bart had all stopped in earlier, each hugging her tightly. It was a very exciting day. Her ribs were nearly broken.

As she grabbed her car keys and made for the door, Dick came up behind her.

"I'll walk you out," he said in a hushed voice, putting on his sunglasses. Raven consented, as she walked through the door that Dick held open for her.

"I'm surprised you haven't sabotaged me yet. I was expecting some blue dye in my shampoo or some other zany scheme," Raven said, chuckling. Dick laughed with her.

"Hey, Roy was just bouncing ideas off of me. I had no part in the scheming," Dick replied, using his hands to support his assertion.

"Uh-huh…" Raven said, shaking her head. Dick's smile faded as he sobered up, expression becoming somber.

"Raven…" Dick began, having difficulty finding the right words. He wasn't exactly sure what one days when their partner, one of his best friends, was going to play hooker with some murdering drug dealer. Hallmark didn't exactly make cards for that one. But Raven beat him to the punch.

"Look, Dick, don't get all schmoozy, please. You're the last person from this precinct I'm going to see for a while and I really don't want to associate my vision of you with me vomiting. I really don't want to puke every time I think of you," she stated matter-of-factly.

"Touching," Dick replied. By this point, they had reached Raven's car. Dick leaned against the trunk as Raven opened her door. She stopped and turned to face him leaning on the back, arm over the open door. She knew he had more to say.

"Just…be safe. Don't hesitate to call. We're all here, waiting to jump to your rescue. Hell, we'll have nothing to do until you're down," he said, finishing with a smile. "Promise me you'll come back in one piece…"

Raven moved forward and Dick hugged her, which she gladly reciprocated. Still in his arms, she replied, "I promise."

Releasing her hold on him, Raven got in the car as Dick closed the door for her. Putting the key in the ignition, she put the car in gear and drove home, for once having a completely clear schedule.

oOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo

Though there was only so much she could do, at this point. She managed to pull together a believable identity with various things around her apartment and a sizeable check from the department's bank account. Granted, she looked a little over the top. But she was a prostitute in what was possibly the seediest town in the country, so what did it matter?

Her alias was Arella Robins. Arella's hair was a deep auburn, something that seemed to make Raven's pallor a little less ghostly. Well, not really. That was actually the eight pounds of foundation and concealer Raven had to apply via shovel. But nonetheless, it matched the spray tan she applied at the night before.

She laughed, looking at her alien-esque orange skin. Passing by her full-length mirror, Raven could help but stop. _Ew._

While in the poor man's Bloomies, Raven bought several revealing shirt, skirts, and dare she admit it, hot pants. Packing the amalgam of cheetah, zebra, and other obscene prints into a suitcase, she paused, knowing she overlooked something. _Right. The Ladykillers._

She was the lady these shoes were killing. The dastardly heels of which she spoke were something to marvel at. It was no joke; the heel was a solid four inches, if not more. However, it was the shoe itself that was far more interesting. It was mostly clear, with glitter oddly dispersed throughout. What amazed Raven was how such a tiny thing, a shoe, could cause so much pain and discomfort. Despite her displeasure with wearing such a tortuous shoe, she decided it was for the job. When she thought about it, that was her life: all for the job.

Raven paused, taking some serious time to consider this. It was true; everything she did, she did for the job. When she broke up with all her boyfriends, the fact that they were mainly lying bastards excluded, Raven did it for the job. She made room for the homicide squad where there was no room to be made.

She put on appearances that she dated, mostly for Roy so she could maintain her sanity and avoid his flirting, but she really did nothing outside of the department.

If she came out of this ordeal okay, she was going to have to make some decisions about her life, because, she was finding that she wasn't very happy. That had to change.

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo

Raven knew how this would start. Slade trafficked his drugs through a local brothel. The Madam would pick a girl who had already gotten permission from Slade. The girl would then take the drugs into the 'appointment,' delivering her own services as well. The fee for both services is then collected, the girl hands the money to the Madam, who then gives it to Slade.

Through the department investigation, everyone figured the girls were murdered because they pilfered money or drugs or both and Slade found out. So as long as Raven avoided theft, she would be able to avoid death.

However, she still had to meet, greet, and seduce Wilson in his favorite club while wired. So basically she had to get him excited, but not _that_ excited. Once she heard his proposition, she was out of there. _Easy. _If anything went wrong, all she had to do was tell the boys that it was "freezing in this joint," and back-up would be racing toward the scene, ready to pull her out of there.

Raven felt a little comfort knowing she had Vic, Roy, Dick, Garth, and Willis were listening in on the other end. Roy had insisted that someone be in the club with her when all of this went down, but Raven refused. Unnecessary risks were not going to help her. She liked being alive. She wanted to stay that way. She appreciated the concern, but she definitely didn't need the underestimation.

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo

Stepping out of the shower, Raven grabbed her towel and wrapped it around her dampened body. Stepping to the mirror, she pulled out a blow dryer and a brush, and began the tedious process of drying one's hair. As her hair was a little less than shoulder length, it didn't take too long. Pulling her now dry locks into a tight bun at the base of her skull, Raven began re-applying her foundation and tan. Once she was sure she had achieved the proper orange hue she so desired, Raven walked into her bedroom and donned the clothes she had set out for herself the night before: a tacky ripped jean mini skirt, fish nets, and a more than revealing red and black tube top.

Getting all of her electronic equipment out, Raven set to digitizing herself. Placing a relatively small voice recorder inside her shirt, Raven found herself feeling very silly. She then put the auburn wig atop her head, which she had previously wired herself. Last but not least, she stepped into her four inch heels, which Kori in the tech unit had put a GPS in. Taking a look in the mirror, Raven was certain that she was a convincing prostitute.

Making sure her gun, badge, and handcuffs were securely and inconspicuously strapped to her legs, Raven locked her apartment and walked out into the streets. Her motel room was in a place only three blocks from where she lived, which helped her realize just what kind of money a cop makes. Approaching the run-down establishment, chuckled to herself.

The motel was called the "L'Elegante."_ Oh, the irony._ Checking in and getting a room key, Raven roamed the hallways in search of her room, finally resting upon a door number 12B. When she opened her door, she saw various creatures scurry towards the corner of the room with the introduction of light. Not to mention the putrid smell that made her nostrils flare in disgust. _Home sweet home._

Eyeing a rather shoddy looking armoire of sorts, Raven opened it up to find old beer bottles and moldy bread. Disposing of the debris, she unpacked her things, and neatly folded them into the drawers. Once finished, Raven laid down on the bed, which creaked despite her small frame. Deciding to do something vaguely useful, other than staring at the peeling wallpaper, the flickering light bulbs, or the stained beige carpet, Raven tried contacting the precinct.

"Can you hear me now?" she asked.

"Loud and clear," was the response she got from who she assumed was Roy. She also knew that they were all gathered around the Kori in the tech room, wondering how things were going. Though she didn't like the earpiece very much, Raven was happy it was there.

_And now we wait_.


	5. Chapter 5

Raven was less than amused. To put it lightly.

The men at her precinct, despite their concern for her safety, decided it would be fun to wake her up. With a bullhorn siren. Into the microphone. That had a direct feed to her earwig.

_Sons of bitches._

Despite her…irritation, she had to ignore these distractions. She knew the guys were just trying to be light-hearted and keep her from brooding, but she really didn't want to mess this up, and their jokes were causing her to lose focus. She was also pretty sure they weren't doing this solely for her, if at all. They were trying to keep the dark thoughts from creeping into their minds. She figured it could only work for so long.

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

"She is going to kill us when she gets back," Victor said through stifled laughter. The laughter quickly died down. Oddly enough, a somber silence fell on everyone and despite the tense feeling it caused, no one felt like breaking it. Victor, Dick, and Roy were all looking around, not intending to meet anyone else's eyes. That would mean honesty. No one wanted that.

"It's not that I don't think she can do it," Roy began, still refusing to look his friends in the eye, as he addressed the shared dread. "It's that Slade is conniving, and he knows more than he lets on. I mean, when I was interrogating him, he told me a lot of information that we believed he didn't know we knew." sSeeing the confusion on Vic's face, he quickly added, "If that makes any sense."

"Raven can handle herself. think our fear is misplaced," Victor responded, defending Raven as the tough individual they all knew she was.

"I still can't help worrying about her, though," Roy exclaimed adamantly, finally looking u pto meet Vic's eyes.

"I know what you mean," Dick agreed, now looking at Roy.

"Not that you would have any experience with this, but it's like sending your kids to school. You know they have to go, but you can't help but worry about them the entire time they're gone." Dick only nodded in agreement. Vic couldn't take it anymore.

"Oh come on you two!" he cried, vaguely disgusted. "Roy, you have the hots for her," as Roy feigned being puzzled. "And Dick…I don't even know where to begin with you! Mainly, you're in love." Dick tried his best to show his denial. "She can deal with anything! If you haven't noticed, she doesn't need a big strong guy to protect her. She needs us to be as useful as possible. And if we're too busy worrying, than we aren't busy enough helping."

The truth was, Dick wasn't exactly sure how he felt about her. She was something elusive to him. She was something he wanted. But when it came to women, he often found that his reach extended his grasp.

**OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoO**

Raven was walking toward Monaco, the club where Slade like to hang out. It didn't help that she had trouble balancing in the towering heels, but she would have to deal. Raven had already talked to Madam Tourney, head of the brothel, and she was in. Now Raven had to talk to Slade Wilson.

It was ten at night, and the line extended from the bouncer at the door, all the way down the street, and around the corner.

Great.

But Raven had another idea. She continued walking towards the bouncer, simultaneous pulling her shirt down, and hiking her skirt up, making it even more revealing. When she approached the bouncer, she said, "Hey baby. Want to let a little girl in?" As she was twirling her hair in her finger with her head cocked to the side, she could tell he was deciding what to do. In a throaty voice, she said, "I'll make it worth your while." Enticingly caressing his face with her soft hands, she finished with a seductive, minx-like, smile. As she had suspected, the bouncer opened the chain that hung across the door and stuffed a business card into the back of her jeans.

As she walked in, she looked at the business card. 'Rock Mason: Bouncer to the stars.' Raven laughed a little. "Rock" wasn't exactly the sharpest spoon in the drawer. But she had to keep a mental note: 'If he ever comes near me, I kick his ass.'

Raven decided that she needed to take in the scene of Monaco. The air was heavy with cigarette smoke, or at least the remnants of such, as she couldn't actually see any cigarettes lit. The bar was in the center of the room, while everyone was dancing around it. Most of the people there were dressed a lot like Raven, while others were dressed like snooty rich folks. Tables lined the outside of the room, and several people were drunk off their asses, passed out in the booths. She couldn't say she much enjoyed their playlist, but it didn't matter: she was here for another reason.

She spotted the door to the VIP room, which also had a burly bouncer keeping unwanted people out. Figuring she wasn't going to be able to charm her way in again, she walked up to him and said, "I need some money. Some fast money. Madam Tourney told me to come here and talk to Slade Wilson. She said he would have work for me."

The bouncer didn't appear to hear her for a minute or two. But apparently believing her, he turned and Raven assumed that he was going to ask permission for her to pass. When he returned, he left the door open for Raven to walk through.

What Raven saw when she entered was not unlike the club outside the door. The music was still playing, if only a little softer, and the darkness and neon strobe lights were one in the same. But the person she was looking for was seated in a seemingly plush chair at the back of the room. What displeased her the most about this whole thing was the evil smile he had on his face. One that looked like he had no remorse.

"How can I help you, oh dear, what was your name?" he asked. "Arella Rothman," Raven replied, trying to appear as if she was easily intimidated. "Right. So you say you need fast money?" Raven nodded. "Okay, Arella. Well you're going to have to wait. I have to make sure I can trust you. I'm going to need to talk to Tourney first. If she clears you, then I'll have a job for you in about two days. But you have to understand, this is no innocent procedure."

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

"Damn it! I thought we had him," Roy yelled. A muffled voice on the other side replied, "I know, Roy, I'm pissed too. I though he was going to spill his guts. But he has to trust me, and there was know way in hell he could trust me without ever meeting me before. I'm going back in three days, and hopefully be cleared. And by the way, you don't need to scream into you mic. I can hear you just fine."

"She's right," Richard said, "about the trust. It will be amazing if he even lets her into the VIP room again. It'll some take time."

He had that right.


	6. Chapter 6

Raven had introduced herself, as Arella, to Slade Wilson a few days ago. Unexpectedly, Madame Tourney had, in fact, passed her for the job. This did nothing to make Raven feel any better. Being approved so quickly and so easily did nothing to sate her fears. It was _too _quickly and it was _too _easily. Something was definitely wrong. The guys back at the precinct seemed to get that same feelings, suggesting that Raven be switched out for someone else, that she drop out of the operation. Roy even suggested that he be in the club, _again_, despite her protests. Raven managed to convince the others that everything was fine. Unfortunately, she couldn't convince herself.

On her way back to her room, Raven heard the mic back at the precinct engage. Scanning the hall to make sure no one was there, she stopped by an alcove to listen.

"I know you don't believe the bullshit you sold us last night after you were through with the Madam," Dick began, "but for your sake, keep your suspicions at bay. If Slade sees anything that resembles hesitation or otherwise suspicious behavior, he's going to know we're after him."

Once again scanning the hall, double checking, with a light-hearted laugh and a hushed tone, Raven replied, "Do you think talking to myself counts as suspicious?"

"I don't know what he goes for. Maybe he likes the crazy chick routine," Richard answered, laughing.

"So how are things going back at the precinct?" Raven questioned.

"Not much since we've passed up on all the interesting things to babysit you," he answered with mock irritation. "Let's see, Miller got suspended without pay. Uh…Karen told—"  
Dick was cut off by Raven's other friends barging in.

"Karen says she misses having you at dinner and wants your apple crisp recipe," Vic said, trying to keep Raven's mind off of what he knew she was thinking. Things were not alright. But he didn't need her worrying, so he dragged himself and Roy in there to keep her focus off of the bad things. Before Raven could reply, Roy was speaking.

"And Lian can't wait until you get back to babysitting. Dick has taken over, and I must say, he's losing his touch with the ladies. Lian misses you," he called out, smiling, as Dick punched his arm.

"Hey, Lian _loves _me. She still remembers all the good times we had when I was her babysitter years ago," Dick stated, but Roy just shook his head, laughing.

"Let's be honest, it's obvious that I'm everybody's favorite and everyone misses me, even you, Dick," Raven whispered, catching the attention of the bickering men. "But, I have to go, I'll talk to you later. Arella signing out."

While she really did need to go, Raven couldn't help but be at least a little sad about cutting off their conversation. She had to admit that she missed work. She missed Roy's asinine comments and flirtations. She missed Vic taking her out to lunch. She missed Dick walking her to her car every day.

Sure, she was happy that she got to talk to Dick, on a regular basis, but even so, it hardly compared to seeing his all too egotistical smirk. This being undercover crap was for the birds. But as long as she got this done quickly, she could be back in the precinct in no time.

It seemed that that might be the case, actually. It rather surprised Raven that Madame Tourney even knew her name. She seemed too…busymost of the time.

She was quickly approaching the Monaco, the club where Slade lounged and otherwise philandered when he wasn't too busy working at his cover-up business. It was high-end, but the people inside were seedy. Raven absolutely hated it.

Dick, who was sitting in the tiny room prepared for these types of things, was feeling a little cramped. The room was, according to him, approximately three feet wide, two feet long, and fourteen inches high. _Perfect. For a troll. _Considering that electronic equipment consumed about nine tenths of the total area, Dick was a little more than confined.

Vacating the approximately 40 year old chair, Dick left an imprint that would probably remain until he returned. He had been doing surveillance non-stop, and was working on his twentieth hour awake. Raven's life was depending on him, or at least that what he kept telling himself, and right now, his life was depending on coffee. So it was off to the equally small break room.

Dick entered the confined area to see Garth, rather disheveled if he did say so himself. His short black hair was mussed and unbrushed. Garth's tie was loosened and his shirt was untucked. Turning to look at the clock, Richard acknowledged that it was six in the morning.

Grabbing the clear glass pot of coffee, Dick inquired, "Rough night?"

"You wouldn't believe it. Kori threw me out—" Pausing, Garth looked at Dick sheepishly, realizing he may have hit a touchy subject. Dick just waved it off and told him to continue,

"I am long over her," he added, taking the seat across from Garth's at the table.

"Yeah, it shows," Garth responded.

Richard narrowed his eyes. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"Don't take offense, man, I'm just calling it as I see it. You have a thing for your newest partner," Garth clarified. "Though I think your last partner had more to offer," he added jokingly. When Dick didn't say anything, Garth continued, "You're not the only one, you know. There are a couple guys I know drooling over her right about now."

"What are you talking about?" Dick replied, playing dumb. The mere thought of dating Raven was foreign, or, at least, that's what he told himself. Yeah, they were close. But departmental policy suggested that there _couldn't_ be anything between them. Dick had never given it much thought. _That's a lie._ Okay, well it's not like he was about to let Garth know that.

"I saw the look you had on your face when Miller called her out. I've been in interrogation rooms with murderers. You wanted to kill him." Dick shook his head in denial.

"So did Roy, so did Vic. We look out for our own," he assured, mostly to himself.

"They were being protective." Garth corrected himself. "So were you, but not in that 'older brother' type of way." Garth took Dick's silence as confirmation of his suspicions. Leaning forward in his chair Garth gave Dick the most sincere expression he could muster and offered his advice. "Be careful how you navigate this one. She's a good detective, and I think Bludhaven really needs someone like her to stick around." With that, Garth got up, putting a hand on Dick's shoulder as he passed by, leaving Dick to stew in his own thoughts before he would head back to the surveillance room to meet up with Roy and Vic.

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

Raven had been waiting inside the smoke filled club for over an hour. Wilson was apparently under the assumption that a fashionably late appearance would be appropriate. Raven begged to differ.

After what seemed like a few dozen hours, she saw the bouncer lift the velvet rope and wave her over, granting her access. Standing, which was difficult in her shoes, Raven made her way into the room and chose to stand by the now closed door. Slade was sitting in a swivel chair and looking out a small window. He swiveled to face Raven. It required all of her effort to not guffaw. _You've got to be kidding me._

"So, Arella, what is that you seek?" Slade asked, venomously. Her desire to laugh out loud hadn't yet subsided. She knew he could be the devil, but God, did he need to choke down the clichés.

"I was under the impression that if I did some of your chores, I could earn a few quick bucks," Raven answered, crossing her arms of her chest and leaning to one side. She delivered all of her answers with a lot of attitude. She had to remember to keep that in check.

"So you want money," he said turning around. It was more of a statement than a question. It appeared that Wilson was surprised, like he thought there was something else involved. "Too bad. I thought maybe you wanted to be part of my private collection. You would fit in splendidly."

Raven was utterly repulsed, but did not show it. The last thing she needed was for Slade to get offended and compromise the whole investigation. Besides, she would just add solicitation to his list of bad deeds.

"Sorry sir, but I already have a few customers that pay handsomely enough. I don't like be second to no one." As of late, Raven had taken up reasonably poor grammar skills. She figured it would add to the appearance, though she was a little worried it was over the top.

"I see," Wilson responded disappointedly. He continued, "Are you willing to do anything? I mean _anything_. You won't be able to pull this off if you have limits. Some of these guys will be very reluctant to hand over their bounty, so it will take a little…," Slade paused and narrowed his eyes and smiled, "...persuasion."

"I really need the money, Mr. Wilson." And there was the desperation that he loved so much.

"Please, call me Slade. We're business partners now. We need to know each other a little more personally," he said, getting up from his chair and approaching Raven. Taking a subconscious step toward the door, Raven kept her arms crossed over her chest, now keeping away prying eyes instead of displaying attitude

"Right," Raven said, uneasily.

Noticing her discomfort, Slade backed off. He seemed put off by her unwillingness to put out. Raven's tension lessened.

"Arella, I'm going to see what I can line up for you. I won't promise anything big. Not yet at least. But when I find something to do, you'll be first on my calling list."

"Thank you so much Mr. Wil—I mean, Slade. You won't regret it." With that, Raven enticingly caressed the side of his face, and walked out. By the time she was three quarters of the way home, she heard a distinct "Damnit" on the other end of her communicator.

"I know, I know. The only thing he could get called on so far is soliciting a prostitute, which I'm sure he could evade. He didn't even specifically refer to drugs of any sort. I'm just as pissed as you," Raven said commiserating. At this point, pissed was hardly an accurate term.

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

Raven had decided that she would mingle with her fellow streetwalkers in an attempt to learn from the pros, so to speak. When she had first arrived, and Madame Tourney had knocked on her door, she was tired and feeling a little misanthropic, to say the least. But she realized she was a little out of practice from her days back in Jump City.

However, now that she had a few to days to settle, and dare she admit it, rest, she was feeling a little more social. Raven knew that some of the hookers hung out in the lobby, as she had seen them numerous times on her way out. One girl, who caught her eye, would mumble a muffled 'hello' as Raven passed. Scanning the dingy foyer, Raven spotted the girl and decided to introduce herself. However, upon seeing the mannerisms of the woman that surrounded her, she decided it was best to loiter and leave the sketchier girls be. However, Raven was not surprised when she felt a tap on her shoulder.

"The name's Jinx," the girl stated somewhat cheerily, extending a pale and fake finger-nailed hand. Accepting the extended hand, Raven introduced herself.

"Arella," she said, letting go of Jinx's hand. Laughing jadedly, she added, "Thanks for being the only ever says hi."

Recognizing the name, Raven remembered her as the working girl Vic hauled in for questioning. Realizing that she may be able to identify her as a cop, Raven tensed momentarily as she attempted some damage control. However, not seeing any glimmer of recognition in Jinx's eyes, Raven relaxed and returned the cheery manner.

Jinx just nodded her head, and replied "Yeah, not many of the girls like newcomers. But I figure, you're probably here for some of the same reasons as me, so I might as well make a new friend."

Raven just nodded in agreement. _If you're also an undercover cop trying to nail Slade Wilson to the wall for two counts of murder, you just made my job easier._

While the two girls got to talking, Raven could not take her eyes off of this girl, Jinx. She was shorter than Raven, but not by much, and fairly slim, almost dainty. Her hair was a the fiery red that could only originate from a bottle. Realizing in her disguise, Raven and Jinx could practically be twins.

"I know, you have to watch out for the cops in Bludhaven," Jinx said, snapping Raven back to reality.

"How so?" she questioned.

Jinx, eager to answer, replied, "They tend to patrol. See most of the bruises?" Raven nodded. "Those are from vice cops, sometimes Narc's. Everyone thinks it's the John's we pick up that do it. It isn't. You wouldn't believe how many times the Madame's girls go to the hospital for broken ribs and noses."

Surprise flooded Raven's mind. Never, had she suspected that some of Bludhaven's finest were roughing up hookers. This realization infuriated her. Though the surprise died away when she remembered that knew a certain Jeff Miller. She doubted he was unique.

"Does anyone ever report anything, speak up?" Raven asked her, almost pleading.

"What's the use? The city is just going to turn their back on us, like the always do."

Confusion crept into Raven's expression. "What do you mean 'like they always do'?"

Jinx, seemingly exasperated, as if she had answered this question a million times replied, "Do you know how many girls working the streets worked for the city. When the stocks fell, half of us were secretaries or even lower down on the food chain. We got dumped on our asses with nowhere to go. When we went to collect our checks, most of us were told that they no longer had them, that they had to use them to cover other expenses."

"You said most of you, but what about the others? They got their checks?" Jinx nodded in affirmation. Still curious, Raven questioned further. "Why?"

Taking in a deep breath, Jinx began to explain the social hierarchy of Bludhaven's streetwalkers. "It's like this: some of the girls were already…_servicing_ city officials, if you know what I mean. Those girls pretty much got what they wanted. They get paid enough for what they do, not to mention who they do. You wouldn't believe how much some people will pay to keep those girls quiet. But those girls are in a whole 'nother league. You won't see them hanging around this dump."

Looking around the room, Jinx's attention was focused on the entrance doors. Suddenly, Jinx started acting nervous, like someone was watching. Quickly glancing from side to side, she muttered a quick "bye," and headed for the exit.

Truly curious, Raven turned to see where she went, and saw her leave with the bouncer that guarded Wilson's VIP room. Walking out toward the corner, Jinx and the bouncer stopped, clearly arguing. The bouncer began pushing her.

Raven murmured a rhetorical "Bye" a moment later, moving toward the doors to watch the scene fold out before her. Once she realized the bouncer was being a little too rough for her liking, Raven rushed after them.

"Hey!" she yelled, "Watch where you put your hands, buddy!" The guard paused. Recognizing that he was pissed, as well as trying to avoid getting her acquaintance tangled in this web, Jinx called back "It's fine Arella, no big deal," trying her best to laugh.

"'No big deal' my ass," Raven muttered under her breath.

"What's that little lady?" the burly bouncer sneered.

Being obnoxious, Raven replied "I SAID 'NO BIG DEAL' MY ASS. NOW GET YOUR DIRTY MITTS OFF OF HER!"

oOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo

"I think Pam was the most versatile. I mean, she has done it all. She's written a book, been on a few tv shows, starred in her own s—" Roy's discussion of Baywatch stars was interrupted by Raven's voice.

Over the speaker Richard, Vic, and Roy could clearly hear Raven shouting something, but they couldn't quite make out the words.

Turning their attention to the monitor, they saw Raven rushing towards a girl they hauled in a while ago. What worried them most? The angry, built bouncer.

"Do you need back up?" Victor asked over the mic. Not getting an answer, all they could do was watch as she approached what was the beginning of a brawl.

oOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo

Promptly releasing Jinx from his rather large grasp, the bouncer made his way towards Raven.

"I really don't think that's any of your business, girlie," the bouncer said as he brought his fist back, ready to strike.

"Something tells me you're a little out of practice in the thinking department," she growled. Grabbing his fist with one hand and his other shoulder with the other, Raven kneed his groin, subsequently incapacitating him for the time being. Turning to look at a shocked Jinx, Raven yelled "Go!" Following her commands, she saw Jinx run inside.

Slightly distracted, a distressed but muffled shout came over the microphone. _Earpiece must be out of place._ Raven turned around in time to see the bouncer stand up, dusting himself off.

Raven, properly anticipating him rushing her, grabbed his wrist and shoulder and used his momentum to fling the bouncer onto the ground. Not quite defeated, he stood, once again, coiling his arm as if it were a cobra, preparing to strike. Raven, however, did not acknowledge the warning shouts from the precinct in time, and was flung backwards a few feet with the punch. Propping herself up off the ground with her elbow, Raven rubbed her throbbing jaw, which was flooding with white-hot searing pain. Eyes widening, she saw the bouncer approaching, eager to kick the crap out of her.

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo

"Shit!" Dick yelled. Vic, Roy, and Willis were crowding the area now, anxiously watching the scene.

After hearing the commotion, Willis rushed in ready to call in the squad cars, and was not pleased with what he saw. This fight was not supposed to happen.

Roy, becoming very flustered and concerned for the well-being of his friend, yelled "We have to call dispatch, send someone over there to break it up. I'm going to go tell—" and again he was interrupted by three people shouting "NO!"

Roy, obviously frustrated, was about to ask why, but Willis was already answering.

"We can't send anyone over there. They are in a part of town where no one would call the cops. If we send officers over there, we could be jeopardizing the mission, not to mention Roth's life. We don't want to make anyone suspicious!" Roy, very obviously, was not satisfied with that answer.

"But what about Raven? She's getting her ass kicked!" Roy added, frantically. Roy's point was punctuated by a loud and pained grunt as Raven was dealt another blow, causing the four men to wince.

"Look, maybe Roy's right, Cap. Maybe she needs help," Vic suggesting, shaking his head. "This is only getting worse." Dick couldn't even watch, instead being plenty horrified by the sound of punching and kicking.

"No, she said she could handle it, now she has to. She'll be fine," Willis answered gruffly, praying that he had made the right decision.

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo

Seeing the bouncer approach, Raven acted helpless, allowing him to advance further. He was within a foot of her, swinging his leg back, and Raven rose to a crouch and swept her leg under his, causing him to fall on his ass.

Kneeling beside him, she hit a couple pressure points that were going to make it difficult to get up for a while. Once he was unconscious, she went to the lobby, heading for an ice machine she had spotted while awkwardly awaiting Jinx's approach.

As she walked in the doors, she took note of Jinx's angry glare.

"Why the hell did you do that? You shouldn't be messing around with Slade's crew," she said in a hushed, but angry, whisper as she grabbed Raven's arm, pulling her closer.

Ignoring Jinx's agitation, Raven shook free of her grasp and gave a sarcastic "You're welcome" as she walked away. Skipping the ice machine, Raven went straight to her room, figuring the guys back at the precinct were actively awaiting contact.

"Raven! Raven! Are you alright?"

The only answer she had enough energy for was "Besides a shiner that is continuously making its presence known, I'm alive."

"Are you sure you're fine?" Willis said, concern only a commanding officer could have embedded in his voice.

Surprising that the Captain was there, she said "Yeah, I swear. I'm just really tired, and I would really like to sleep."

Laying down, Raven closed her eyes, but opened them in a hurry.

"Wait! I might have something for you to look into!" Sitting up in the bed, Raven continued. "Jinx was being hustled by one of Wilson's men, and she seemed really upset that I got involved; but it seemed like worried upset, not pissed upset," she said quickly, recalling the upset look Jinx had on her face when she passed by in the hallway. "Put a detail on her. She might be his next victim."

"You got it," Garth replied, as he had joined the crew in the surveillance room. Each taking the necessary notes for their assignment, Roy, Vic, and Garth left to find anything they could on Wilson.

"Sweet dreams Rae," Dick said gently once he knew everyone was gone. Raven's eyes closed slowly, and she drifted off, soothed by the voice of someone she realized she missed. A lot.


	7. Chapter 7

There was no doubt about it: yesterday, Raven had come dangerously close to the boundary of safety the men back at her unit was trying to keep her in. And now, looking down at the crumpled piece of paper in Roy's hands, today was going to be just as worrisome.

_I know you have been following me. I see your arrogance. I suggest you drop this case, or else the next body bag will contain that pretty cop you all seem so attached to._

Five men, usually unstoppably talkative, we gathered around the table, speechless.

"So what do we do?" Roy asked, fear intermingled with the quietness in his voice.

"What else can we do? We have to get Raven out of there. We can't sacrifice a cop for a case that might never be solved," Willis replied, disappointment in his eyes. "This undercover stunt is over."

Richard was waging an internal war with himself. However, the result was voicing what Raven would have wanted. "We can't do that. She sure as hell won't want to come out, and—,"

"It doesn't matter whether she chooses to leave or not because she doesn't have a choice! This will become a rescue mission if we don't pull her out before Slade can get his hands on her!" Willis answered, angry at the insubordination of his decision.

"In all honesty we don't know that it's Wilson. Theoretically it could be any one of the humps we hauled in days prior to Raven's departure. It could be someone who is just observant and realizes that most cops on our precinct have partners at almost all times," Roy said, attempting to salvage the mission Raven had fought so hard for. He would never admit it if asked, but Roy was drawn to Raven for more than good looks. She was one of the toughest individuals he had ever met, and she loved the job. She also loved being right, and she would not be happy to find out everyone was thinking she was wrong.

"Yeah, well, we don't know enough to say it's not Wilson, so we're done here. I don't care what the hell you have to do to get Roth out of there, you will do it. That's an order. If she's not in this precinct in 12 hours, it will be on your heads." With that final demand, Willis left, again fuming.

What most people didn't realize was that Willis cared too.

Raven, not entirely thrilled with waking up at four, didn't really appreciate the shrill ringing that reverberated in her ears. _The phone._ Though not excited to get up, Raven figured the alternatives of breaking the phone, ignoring the phone, and having the angry neighbor come and stab her were far less appealing.

"Hello," Raven answered, groggily and questioningly.

"Ah, Arella, sorry to wake you," came a maniacal voice.

"Oh yes, Mr. Wilson, what can I do for you?" she questioned, attempting to rub the weariness from her eyes.

"I don't think you want the truth," Slade replied, plastering a smug grin on his hardened face.

"What can I do for you that wouldn't compromise my integrity?" Raven asked, disgusted by Slade's lack of decorum.

"Ah, but my dear, you are a prostitute, your integrity has long ago been compromised. Probably next to some middle aged politician. However, I have called because I need you to meet me at six this evening. I have the packages that you will be delivering. I trust you'll be alone."

With that, only the dial tone resounded in the earpiece of the phone, and Raven clumsily put it back on its stand with a soft click.

Leaning back on the pillow that she had propped herself up on, Raven let herself drift back to sleep.

In what seemed like five minutes, a loud slam shook Raven's room, effectively waking her up.

Through the paper thin walls, Raven could hear loud shouts of 'NO' and 'Get the hell out of here.' Once whatever the cause of these shouts was only one door away, Raven could hear bits of the 'conversation.'

"….but you must see the light…yes, like my brother says, the lord is our savior…."

_I doubt Jesus would appreciate an interruption of his sleep._

Confirming her fears, a couple of knocks rested upon her ears. Raven responded by forcing the pillow over her head.

"The Lord Jesus Christ has beckoned and you must answer!" the southern drawl called.

"Please, the lord beckons. Your salvation is imminent if you only give us a chance," a second voice pled.

Raven, irked by their tenacity, got up, hopefully to make them leave. Opening the door, she began to rant and rave.

"Look, solicitation for God is bull—"

Almost immediately upon opening the door, Raven recognized the two faces framed by her doorway.

"Well, I suppose it wouldn't hurt to listen," Raven said, much more placidly than the demeanor she opened the door with. With that, the two men walked in, locking the door on the way.

"What is it Roy? Why the disguises? And why the hell did you pick bible salesman?" Raven asked, worry etched in her frown.

"No time to explain. Look Raven, I know that you are dedicated to this mission, but Willis wants to pull you out," he replied, hoping she would not take out her anger on him.

Raven, flabbergasted by this information, walked across the room and took a seat on the foot of her bed. Resting her head on her hand, Raven ran her hand through her slightly disheveled hair in a vain attempt to shake away the rage.

"I can't; not now."

Richard sighed, "It's not really a choice. Take a look at this." Dick handed her the letter the precinct had received, not letting his own anxiety for her wellbeing surface. Taking the letter, Raven thoughtfully read down the page, her eyes fluttering between sentences. In an angry huff, she folded it up, and shoved it back into Richard's hand.

With calm resolve, Raven began to explain her words. "No, I am making this one a choice. Wilson called me this morning, telling me he had the package I needed to deliver. He said that I had to go down to the club at 6, and that's what I'm going to do."

As Raven stood up to head towards the bathroom, Roy spoke. "Well you know what, some of us care about your health, whether you do or not! Not to mention, some of us like your presence around the precinct. If you don't get yourself killed, you could lose your badge!"

To Roy's surprise, Raven did not explode, nor did she yell. She simply turned around and looked at him with determination in her eyes. "I'm not leaving, and there is nothing in hell you can do about it." With that, she turned on her heel, and walked into the bathroom.

Richard, angered by Raven's defiance and apathy towards her own wellbeing, shouted to her in the bathroom. "Well than what the hell do you want us to tell Willis? He wants you in the precinct by 9 tonight!"

"Don't tell him anything. If all goes well, I'll be back before then. You know the way out." Closing the door, Raven left Roy and Dick no choice but to leave. Obliging, Roy unlocked the door, and followed Dick out.

"So what are we going to do?" Roy asked, already knowing the answer.

"We're going to watch her every move and make sure she doesn't get herself killed running drugs for a maniac," Dick replied, shaking his head.

"Sounds like a plan."

Bugged and armed, Raven walked into the Monaco with two minutes to spare. Sifting through the crowd of drunks and disorderly, Raven reached the V.I.P. room. Running her hands along her very short skirt, Raven straightened it out. Taking in a deep breath, Raven entered the room, only to find Slade standing hands behind his back.

"Okay she's in," Victor called, encouraging Roy and Richard to join him in the surveillance room.

"What is she doing?" Roy asked, wondering what he was seeing on the camera.

"I have no idea."

"Here is the package, and make sure you don't lose it. Go to Tenth Street and hand it to the man in the blue bomber jacket. Make sure no one else handles this. Do you understand?"

"I understand. Is there anything else I can do?"

"Wait a second, what is HE doing?" Richard said, beginning to grow uneasy.

"Well, I suppose there is something you can do for me," Slade said, smiling evilly. Grabbing her arm, Slade pulled Raven towards him so that their bodies were touching. Using the other hand, Slade ripped off her shirt, despite Raven's struggles, now leaving her only with her sheer cropped camisole. Writhing under his touch, Raven did all she could to pull away, but was failing miserably.

Her voice faltering, Raven began to speak. "Wow, it's freezing cold in this joint, and I would really appreciate it if you could give me my shirt back."

The crack in her voice indicated her fear, and did nothing to convince Slade to do as she asked.

"Look, there is always a high price to pay when working with Slade Wilson. You should know, you worked those murder cases, didn't you, _Raven_?"

Immediately, Raven's eyes widened as she realized she made a potentially deadly mistake.

"SHIT!" was the first thing anyone could say. Eyes wide, the surveillance room became a scene of panic and frenzy.

"Did he just say Raven? We have to get a squad car over there NOW! Dick, let's go!" Roy yelled, rushing out.

Richard, trying to gain some of his sense back yelled to Vic. "Watch what happens. If you see ANYTHING worth noting scream it over the radio in the car. We need all the help we can get. And you might as well tell Willis." Seeing the question in his eyes, he fired "No questions! Just do it!"

Though her torso was mostly bare and being manhandled, Raven managed to kick Slade's side, forcing him to let her go. Dropping to the floor due the sudden shift in balance, Raven began crawling towards the door. However, Slade was far more resilient than she expected and he rose to his feet, walking menacingly towards Raven. Reaching her after what felt like an eternity to Raven, Slade grabbed her hair, lifting her to his eye level. Smiling and winking at her, Slade threw her into the wall with such force that she blacked out for a few seconds. Coming to a last resort, Raven admitted her identity.

"Look Wilson, I know what you did, and I have it all on tape. You're busted. Don't make this worse by beating me into the ground. You should—_oomph_" Raven rolled onto her stomach, in which she was just kicked as hard as possible, and on the verge of tears.

Slade only smiled his maniacal grin, and replied to her pleas. "My dear, Ms. Roth, I have no intention of beating you to a bloody pulp. At least not one that can talk."

Roy and Richard were in the police Crown Victoria, speeding through the Gotham slums filled with such immense anxiety that both Roy and Dick had white knuckles, even though Roy was the one driving. Though they were followed by several other squad cars, the two men who cared deeply for someone who may be facing grave danger weren't sure it would be enough.

Over the radio, Dick could hear Vic's frantic voice and reached toward the volume so he could more clearly understand it. "You guys have to get there quick! Wilson's doesn't want witnesses!"

Right then, Dick's heart began to sink. Never had he felt such an intense dread in the pit of his stomach. Of course, he wasn't sure what exactly is was he felt for his partner, but he wanted to have the options available, which meant keeping that person alive. Under his breath, he muttered, "Come on Raven…"

Roy could only shake his head and as he sped towards their destination.

Placing her hands on either side of her body, Raven tried to stand up, but failed. However, it was not because she couldn't muster the strength, it was because a heel had just found its niche on her back. After asking Slade if it was him who wrote the letter, she realized there was a problem. That problem was that the heel was that of some sort of stiletto boot. Rolling on her back, Raven faced the second source of pain.

"Jinx," she said with as much venom as she could muster in her groggy state. Jinx only smiled with an amount of malevolence that rivaled Slade.

"Ha. That's funny, you're probably wondering why I'm here. Well, to clear things up, I saw you in the precinct when they hauled me in." Recognizing the look of betrayal in her eyes, Jinx continued. "Don't think because you kicked that bouncer's ass that means I am forever in your debt. When I told you that you shouldn't have done that, I meant you just proved yourself a cop in a staged setting."

She paused, smiling cruelly. "It was a setup." With that, Jinx kicked Raven in the stomach again.

Rolling over in pain, Raven had finally had enough. Going back to her basic academy training, Raven swung her legs to knock Jinx's feet out from under her. Unfortunately, Raven had ignored Slade's presence throughout their entire conversation, and therefore failed to see the knife he pulled from his suit jacket.

Raven, eyes widening at the realization and she closed her eyes, whispering "I'm sorry Dick, Roy. I should have listened."

Richard, only three quarters of the way there, practically choked when Victor's yells woke him from his reverie. "Dick, Roy, Slade pulled a knife! He's going to kill her! Get down there now!"

"SHIT! SHIT! SHIT! What are we supposed to do! She's going to die in there!" Richard could only frantically cry out.

Grabbing the radio, Roy yelled into it. "Willis! I know you're pissed right now, but you need to— "

"Roy, right now, I could care less. Let's just hope when we get there I still have someone to be pissed at."

Roy would never say it, but he almost thought Willis' gruff voice had reverted to his teen years by the cracks that littered his speech. He could only hope for the same, however.

Slade circled the black and blue Raven, who was now leaning upright against the wall. Raven, hopeful that someone would reach her quickly, merely waited for Slade's advance. However, Slade faked a punch, which Raven moved to block, while he kicked her legs out from under her. On the ground and effectively incapacitated, Slade knelt down to and brought his face to Raven's ear.

"Well, my darling, it's been fun. But as you know, all fun must come to an end."

Squeezing the handle, Slade dug the blade deep into Raven's abdomen. However, true to her character, Raven did not cry, nor did she scream. She simply let out a muffled "_mmph_," tagged with a wince. Grinning, Slade got up, and left the room, planning on heading to a new location. Meanwhile, Raven bled out onto the floor, not even hearing approaching sirens. To her, all hope was lost as she heard Vic reassuring her that everything would be okay.


End file.
